boring and tedious
not a thriller
shareWhat category would you put it in, Hownos?
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MovieChat Forums > Klute (1971) Discussion > boring and tedious
I class it as 'character study' and on that level it works beautifully.
As a thriller it's okay but not particularly memorable. I still rate it a 7/10 and consider it a seminal film for Fonda's brilliant performance.
Speaking of her performance, there is a scene where her acting fails, but ever so slightly. She's walking across a city street, and you can see a slight smile, where there's no reason for her to smile. I thought that was perhaps because there was a crowd of onlookers watching the scene being filmed, and she couldn't help but smile a little bit.
shareThat's an interesting observation... I don't recall the scene specifically but I must admit I have been known to smile to myself for no reason that would be apparent to observers... perhaps she was remembering a funny story?
shareIt seemed to me that she was a bit self-conscious because of the onlookers, who would certainly have been gawking at her being filmed. An actor walking across a New York street with klieg lights and cameras pointing at her would be bound to feel a little embarrassed. Maybe someone in the crowd said something out loud, or there was some other extraneous noise that she knew would have to be edited out.
shareI’m more than halfway through and wondering why it’s reputation is so good. The story is dullsvile, man. Nothing has happened but a lot of talking. Fonda is fine but the greatest? She was better in They Shoot Horses. And maybe it’s watching it on demand but the film is so darkly lit.
shareFonda broke through in They Shoot Horses... and there's no question that that is the much better film, and the one which revealed her to be a great actress rather than the lightweight 'sex kitten' of the sixties. But I disagree on her performance in Klute, which for me is a landmark in screen acting, one of the finest performances of the '70s and the greatest work of her career imo (Julia runs it very close, and that's also a much stronger movie). I think she's magnificent and makes the film seem better than it actually is. I agree that the story/script are no great shakes, but Fonda kept me enthralled.
shareYes I thought this movie was just a vehicle to display Jane Fonda's acting chops (which were fine), and to get her a Oscar.
shareIt had some very suspenseful scenes and the soundtrack was sublime
shareAgree 100%. The movie revealed the killer just over half way through and all the “investigation” scenes were half-hearted after thoughts. This was anything but a thriller.
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